Odontogenic Maxillofacial Infections: A Ten-Year Retrospective Analysis

To analyze treatment modalities and results in patients with severe odontogenic maxillofacial infections during a 10-y period.

Medical records of 1,077 patients hospitalized because of severe odontogenic maxillofacial infections during 2003-2012 were reviewed. The sample consisted of the records that matched inclusion criteria. For each patient the following data were collected: Age, gender, presence of systemic diseases, length of hospital stay, causal tooth, location of inflammation, treatment, results of bacteriologic sampling, and anti-bacterial susceptibility.

Male to female ratio was 1.4:1. Two or more anatomic spaces were involved in 42.9% of cases, 37.3% of which involved the floor of the mouth. Penicillin in combination with gentamicin or metronidazole was prescribed in 69% of cases. Sixty-two different micro-organism species were identified with predominance of Streptococcus haemolyticus (42.9%). The microbial analysis showed the highest susceptibility of predominant micro-organisms to penicillin was 76.9% and the highest resistance was to metronidazole (27.9%).

The frequency of odontogenic maxillofacial infection remained almost unchanged during a 10-y period. Single-space infections were more common (57.1%) than infections involving two or more spaces. Susceptibility to penicillin remains relatively high; therefore, penicillin can remain part of the armamentarium for treatment of odontogenic maxillofacial infections.